The Pittsburgh Steelers need a quarterback. They tried to bring back Justin Fields and weren’t all that aggressive on Sam Darnold. Now, Aaron Rodgers and Russell Wilson look like the best options available. However, the Steelers aren’t the only team in need of a QB. They now find themselves in a waiting game. With that in mind, former NFL defensive back Jason McCourty thinks the Steelers should call up the San Francisco 49ers to inquire about Brock Purdy.
“Now if you’re the Pittsburgh Steelers, you’ve already traded for DK Metcalf, and gave him a big contract,” McCourty said on ESPN’s Get Up on Monday. “You need to have somebody to throw the ball to them… If you’re the Steelers, why not think about calling up the 49ers and John Lynch and saying ‘I don’t know where you guys are at right now… give us a shot at him [Brock Purdy].’ We’ll let him be able to distribute to all the weapons we have here in Pittsburgh.”
There hasn’t been any actual reporting regarding the Steelers ever reaching out to the 49ers about Purdy. However, it’s not the first time an analyst has proposed the idea. Last week, Chris Canty made the same point.
Considering the quarterback market, Purdy could become one of the more realistic options if the Steelers wanted to attempt to trade for a QB. Geno Smith might have been one of them, but he was recently traded to the Las Vegas Raiders. There’s also Kirk Cousins, but a $10 million signing bonus due in 2026 makes him a less-attractive option.
The 49ers are in an interesting spot. They went to the Super Bowl just two seasons ago, but are coming off a losing season and are in the process of retooling their roster. A quarterback nearing the end of his deal, on a team going through some turnover, is always something to monitor in this league.
With that said, San Francisco seems high on Purdy. There’s been nothing to suggest they’d actually trade him. However, the same thing could have been said about Geno Smith before he was traded. This is an unlikely scenario at the moment for the 49ers and Steelers, but things can change.
Given the Steelers’ current options, it might be a call they consider making in the future. Having to wait between 41-year old Aaron Rodgers and 36-year old Russell Wilson isn’t where they’d like to be. Purdy’s a young, promising QB. Some fans are split on his overall impact, since he’s got talented options at his disposal in San Francisco. However, the argument can be made that Purdy is better now, and certainly will be better in the future, than any of the Steelers’ other choices.
It’s also worth mentioning that Purdy has just one year left on his rookie deal. If any team was to trade for him, they’d likely have a contract extension lined up as well.
